Quilt Block Tutorial – 6 Simple and Fun Classic Blocks

The blocks I picked for this particular round up are all easy to construct and as shown they are very basic. Since we are all somewhat limited in the ability to obtain new tools or supplies, I opted to do some blocks that would be easy to incorporate into a scrap quilt or just to use for a quick and easy quilt. The sizes range from 8” to 12” finished and can be easily adjusted to fit your project needs. The primary building blocks of each of these classic blocks are: plain squares, rectangles, half square triangles (HSTs), 4 patches, flying geese and basic strip piecing.

Now to start…

Jewel Box block

This is a super simple yet truly awesome block. There are lots of patterns out there for jewel box quilts with various names but when you drill it down to the block itself you start to see just how simple is often the best.

This block, as shown below, finishes at 8” and consists of 2 HSTs and 2 4 patch blocks.

To start – the four blocks each are 4.5” unfinished and I started with 2.5” strips and used the basic 2 at a time HST method. For detailed information on various ways to make HSTs, please see my post on HST methods here.

To make the two HSTs I needed I started with two squares measuring 5.5” and trimmed down to get my 4.5” block.

For the 4 patch, I strip pieced the peach and white fabric and cut 4, 2.5” sections, and of course if you’re working with scraps you could easily just use 2.5” squares.

The layout is super simple and here is the finished block.

Now – the Jewel Box quilt block is used quite a bit. It makes a fabulous scrap quilt, but also can be a very striking quilt with varying jewel tones, etc. Below is a picture of a quilt I made (sorry for the bad lighting and pre quilting status) with Ohio State colors for a friend after her husband passed away.

 

Churn Dash Block

Also a truly classic and popular block, the Churn Dash appears all over the place. The design could easily lend itself to secondary patterns appearing for quilting fun but can definitely stand on its own as well. Traditionally just 2 colors, though would be interesting to play with color placement here.

The block as shown is 12” finished and the individual blocks are 4.5” unfinished, including the center plain block.

I used the 4 at a time HST method and so my squares to start were each 7”.

For the other blocks, I strip pieced the peach and white and cut 4 sections at 4.5”.

The layout of this is also super simple – the key for the Churn Dash is that the color you want the design to be needs to all be in the center. As with many of the classic and simple blocks, there are many variations.

Broken Dishes

This block is made up entirely of half square triangles and is generally only two colors. I used 2.5” HSTs for my block, so the finished size of the block is 8”.

Pick your favorite method for HSTs – I used the 4 at a time for this as well, so my starting squares were 4.5” for both the peach and white fabrics and I squared down to 2.5”.

When piecing broken dishes, you could either piece the rows together or piece together each quarter section. The quarter sections are all the same – with the HSTs opposite each other. I opted to piece the block in smaller sections because I found it easier to chain piece that way.

The finished block:

Whirligig

Also made up of HSTs here, the Whirligig could be made with flying geese as well. I opted for 2.5” HSTs and the block as shown finishes at 8”.

As with the above blocks, I used the 4 at a time method for my HSTs, starting with 4.5” squares and squaring down to 2.5”.

I pieced this block in sections, as I did the above, since each section was identical. Then I simply pieced the sections together, turning each one quarter turn clockwise, to give the whirling appearance.

Virginia Reel

For this block I used flying geese, though you could achieve this look with HSTs if you wanted. I used the no waste flying geese method. If you are unfamiliar with that method, please check out my brief flying geese tutorial here. This block as shown finishes at 8”.

Piecing the sections together again, this block is put together in the same way the whirligig is constructed. The sections are turned a quarter turn clockwise, giving the block movement.

Twister

Twister is a fun block using HSTs, plain squares and rectangles. For this block, my HSTs and center plain block are 2.5” and the measurements for the strips are 2.5” by 6.5”. This block as shown finishes at 10”.

For this block, I pieced the center section first and moved out from there. The center section should look like this when together:

Once the center is pieced, attach a strip to either side of the center block.

For the top and bottom of the block, one HST should be sewn to each end of the remaining two strips. Attention should be paid to the direction of the HST, as when attached to the block, the outside HST should be the mirror image of the inner corner. When complete, the outside of the block also has a clockwise flow to it.

There you have six very basic and traditional blocks that can be incorporated into almost any quilt design. I will be showcasing some alternatives to the two fabric versions of these blocks to get your creative juices flowing so stay tuned! I also plan to continue doing block round ups so watch out for those as well!

As always, please share your creations with us on the Quilt It List Adventures Facebook page, comment below, or feel free to email me!

Let’s get quilting!